The invention described herein relates to a display device for data required for the adjustment and set-up of a sewing machine with known drive and control systems in conjunction with the machine parts involved in the sewing operation and manually operated adjustment devices assigned to these control systems. The adjustment possibilities of modern sewing machines with regard to the sewing opertion and the material to be sewn are so extensive that for a minimum number of typical sewing operations and materials, the operator must be provided with data on machine adjustment and the use of certain accessories for a certain thread. It is standard practice to provide such data in a chart on the inside of a hinged cover of a sewing machine housing (U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,683) or to provide a folded chart under the cover (U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,310). Such charts, however, have substantial disadvantages. The number of combinations of sewing operation prerequisites for adjustment and set-up instructions which can be contained in the chart is limited in every case. The larger the chart and combination of predefinable conditions and readable information, the more unsurveyable the chart and easier it is for errors to occur. During machine set-up, it is also not highly practical if machine alterations must be performed, e.g. the opening of a cover.